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Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

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CLOSED GONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No. 484,924. Patented Oct. 25, 1892.

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UN-r'rnn STATES Erica.

PATENT BENJAMIN F. SUTTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PARKER,STEARNS 8s SUTTON, OF NEl/V YORK, N. Y.

CLOSED CONDUIT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 484,924, dated October25, 1892.

I Application filed July 7, 1891. Serial No. 398,664. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SUTTON,

of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvementin Electric Conductors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to electric conductors for railways orother contrivances wherein a part travels along a conductor.

My improvement consists in an electriccondnctor having a tube ofinsulating material free to collapse and expand, a main electricalconducting-surface extending along the interior of said tube orcovering, a number of separate conducting-surfaces extending along theinterior of said tube or covering opposite the said mainconducting-surface, and a conducting-surface on the exterior of the saidtube, communicating electrically with thesep 2o arateconducting-surfaces previously mentioned.

My improvement further consists in certaindetails of constructionhereinafter described and claimed.

2 5 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of an electricconductor embodying myimprovement. Fig. 2 represents a section of thesame. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section thereof. Fig. 4 is atransverse section showing the conductor in a different condition fromthat shown in Fig. 3, and includes a View of the traveling contact-piecederiving current therefrom. Fig. 5 represents a central longitudinalsection of the conduct- 3 5 or, and includes a representation in dottedoutline of the traveling contact-piece and a representation of thecondition of the conductorwhen acted upon by said travelingcontact-piece. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section of portions oftwo sections of the conductor, showing the manner in which the jointbetween the sections is formed. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of aportionof the main electrical conducting-surface of the conductor;

Figs. 8 and 9, transverse sectional views illustrating a modification ofthe conductor.

In the example of my improvement illus trated by Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,and 7, A desig nates a tube or covering of insulating mate- 5o rial,such as soft india-rubber, and made continuous. This tube or covering isshown as of elliptical form, although this form is not essential. It maybe fastened in place in any position-as, for instance, with itsbase-surface a resting on the top of any suitable support, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4. The said tube may be fastened to its support in anysuitable manner, and itmay, if desired, be stifiened by rods or wires a,running lengthwise through its wall and Wholly embedded therein. Theserods or wires may serve as a means for fastening the conductor to itssup port.

B designates the main conducting-surface of the conductor. As shown inFigs. 2, 3, 4t, 5, 6, and 7, it consists of a rod or strip of metalfitted in a groove formed along the interior of the tube or covering Aand having side flanges for embracing the adjacent portions of thematerial, so as to be fastened thereto. That portion of thisconducting-surface which projects within the tube or covering isrepresented as corrugated or grooved both longitudinally andtransversely, so as to present a series of beveled projections andrecesses. 7 5

This main conducting-surface is intended to be continuous and will bemade of sections, such sections being spliced together by simplyoverlapping each other, as shown at d in Fig. 2, or by mortises andtenons provided at their ends, as shown at e in Fig. 6. Obviously thetube or covering may also be made in sections united by making one endof one section of reduced size to enter a counterbore in the adjacentend of the next section, as shown at f in Fig. 6.

B designates separate conducting-surfaces arranged on the interior ofthe tube or covering Aopposite the main conducting-surface B. Theseseparate conducting-surfaces B are represented as consisting of metalplates fastened to the tube or covering opposite the mainconducting-surface B, so as to be in line with each other. Outside ofthe tube or covering A is another conducting-surface B 5 represented asconsisting of a number of metal plates arranged in line opposite theinterior of the separate conducting-surfaces B These metal plates B arealso represented as separate from each other. The said plates B and Bare represented as fastened to the tube or covering and connectedtogether electrically by metal rivets 1), extending through the tube orcovering and engaging with the said plates. The inner faces of the saidplates B are represented as corrugated longitudinally and transverselyto correspond with the longitudinal and transverse corrugations of theinner face of the conductingsurface B. The ends of the series of platesB and B may be and are represented in Figs. 5 and 6 as arranged so thatthe ends of the plates of the two series B and B lap beyond theinterruptions between the ends of the plates of the other series.

In adapting this invention to the switches or branches of an electricrailway the conductor will have branches corresponding exactly with theswitches or branches of the railway, as may be understood by reference.

to the right-hand ends of Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the conductor is shownadapted to two branches.

Normally the condition of the tube or covering will be such that theseparate conducting-surfaces B will beout of contact with the mainconducting-surface B, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and in full outline inFig. 5. A traveling contact-piece 0, carried by a car or other device,travels along that portion of the tube or covering having theconductingsurfaces B and B arranged upon it. This contact-piece willpress against the tube or covering with such force as to compress it andforce the conducting-surfaces B into contact with the mainconducting-surface B, as shown in Fig. at and in dotted outline in Fig.5. Owing to this, current constantly passes from the mainconductingsurface B through one of the conducting-surfaces B and thencethrough the conducting-surfaces B to the traveling contact-piece C,whence it may pass to the car or other device by which the travelingcontact-piece is carried. Immediately upon the passage of the travelingcontactpiece beyond any part of the conductor the tube or covering willresume its normal condition, thereby separating the separateconducting-surfaces B from the main conducting-surface B, rearward ofthe traveling contact-piece (J.

The example of my invention just described with reference to Figs. 1 to7, inclusive, will be understood to be adapted to a railway in which theconductor is placed below the cars. The example shown in Fi 8 consistsof an inversion of that shown in the preceding figures, adapted to casesin which an overhead conductor is used and the contact piece pressesupward. In this last example I have shown the inner faces of the mainconducting-surface B and of the separate conducting-surfaces B flat.

I prefer to make the contact-faces of B and B with concave and convexsurfaces in order to insure a better contact without any liability tosparking. The simplest form for such concave and convex surfaces is alongitudinal channel g in one and a longitudinal tongue h on the other,as shown in Fig. 9, which represents a transverse section of theconducting-surfaces; but I at present consider the best form for suchconcave and convex faces the corrugated one described with reference toFigs. 1, 3, 4:, 5, 6, and 7, in which the apexes of the corrugations inB striking against those of B, will insure proper contact. Thecorrugations may be both longitudinal and transverse or onlylongitudinal or transverse.

The lapping of the ends of the plates B and B while not impairing thelongitudinal flexibility of the part of the tube to which they areattached, will obviate the liability to sparking.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination,with an inclosing tube of flexible insulatingmaterial, of a main conductor extending along the inner wall of the tubeand a series of conducting-plates extending along the interior of thetube opposite the main conductor, the adjacent faces of the mainconductor and the series of conductors being provided with transversecorrugations adapted to interlock when the parts zftre brought intocontact, substantially asset orth.

2. The combination, with an inclosing tube of flexible insulatingmaterial, of a main conductor extending along the inner wall of thetube, a series of conducting-plates extending along the interior of thetube opposite the main conductor, and a second series ofconducting-plates extending along the exterior of the tube andelectrically connected with the series extending along the interior, theplates of said series being arranged to alternately overlap the portionof the tube intervening between two successive ends of the plates,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with an inclosing tube of flexible insulatingmaterial, comprising in itself a holder and retainer for the conductors,of a main electric conductor within the tube and dovetailed into thewall of the tube and an interrupted electric conductor attached to thetube opposite the main conductor and exposed to contact within andwithout the tube, substantially as set forth.

BENJAMIN F. SUTTON.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, L. M. EGBERT.

